In 2016, the most ubiquitous pop hits are equal parts indebted to reggaeton, dancehall, and afropop. Some of our favorite rappers are also singers. One of the year's best albums is made up of rock guitar-driven R&B songs. For better or worse, it’s clear, genre lines everywhere are blurring. It’s happening naturally in one particular scene bubbling up in the U.K.: in cities like London and Birmingham, where residents are uniquely positioned to absorb African, Caribbean, and global black culture all at once, a new crop of artists is instinctively blending dancehall, afropop, hip-hop, grime, and R&B. These nine artists are on a new wave.

In 2016, the most ubiquitous pop hits are equal parts indebted to reggaeton, dancehall, and afropop. Some of our favorite rappers are also singers. One of the year's best albums is made up of rock guitar-driven R&B songs. For better or worse, itís clear, genre lines everywhere are blurring. Itís happening naturally in one particular scene bubbling up in the U.K.: in cities like London and Birmingham, where residents are uniquely positioned to absorb African, Caribbean, and global black culture all at once, a new crop of artists is instinctively blending dancehall, afropop, hip-hop, grime, and R&B. These nine artists are on a new wave.

*hushed whisper* Its a shame that all of that Fader article fails to identify that the undoubted father of this whole wave is Sneakbo, but we can't talk about him because he went through that terrible sell-out year and also went and snitched apparently so nobody will bother listening to his music anymore.